By Mehdi Salehi
Film Critic and Editor-in-Chief of "Green Smile" News Platform
"Sentimental Value" is a cinematic experience that, like a living impressionist painting, portrays emotions through fluid and enigmatic imagery. This bold work, which won the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, is not merely a film-it is a philosophical inquiry into the nature of memory, time, and emotional values in the digital age. Employing a non-linear structure and multi-layered approach, the director takes the audience on an inner journey where every frame, every light, and every shadow carries meaning beyond its surface.
The cinematography, inspired by Edward Hopper's paintings, uses contrasts of warm and cold light to depict characters' inner turmoil. A scene where the protagonist stares at old photographs in a dimly lit room, with light filtering through a grimy window, alone symbolizes the entire film: a desperate quest for meaning amidst fading memories. These dreamlike (or nightmarish) images merge with minimalist, soothing music reminiscent of Arvo Pärt-a blend of meaningful silences and sparse notes that feel less like music and more like mental atmospheres.
The screenplay, with rare audacity, channels post-structuralist philosophy through concise, symbolic dialogues. When the protagonist asks a friend, "Do I construct memories, or do memories construct me?", it raises a fundamental question about personal identity. These manifesto-like dialogues are elevated by the actors' subtle, heartfelt performances. The lead actor's prolonged silences and expressive glances convey existential anxiety more powerfully than any dialogue could.
Beneath the surface, however, lies a sharp critique of today's consumerist society. Smartphone screens, flashy billboards, and opulent stores linger in the background, starkly contrasting the protagonist's search for authentic emotion. The film masterfully reveals how modernity commodifies feelings. In one striking scene, the protagonist wanders lost among endless aisles of a modern supermarket while upbeat music blares from speakers-a potent symbol of this theme.
Yet "Sentimental Value" is not without flaws. Its overly complex narrative and reliance on abstract symbolism may confuse some viewers. At times, the film seems more invested in theoretical exposition than audience connection. This is where it stumbles: perhaps its profound ideas could have been conveyed with slightly more clarity without compromising artistic value.
Nevertheless, "Sentimental Value" remains a landmark achievement in contemporary cinema. It deserves acclaim not just for its stunning visual aesthetics, but for daring to challenge conventional narrative forms and creating a cinematic language for deep philosophical expression. In an era where film increasingly leans toward commercial banality, works like "Sentimental Value" remind us that cinema can still explore the deepest layers of human experience. Like a long visual poem, it demands reflection and revisiting-each viewing unveils new meanings, inviting audiences to rethink their relationship with time, memory, and human emotion.
